


The House That Built Me

by aca_bechloe47



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Flashbacks, Fluff, Fluffy Angst, Going Home, Love Confessions, One Shot, Post PP3, Song fic, bechloe - Freeform, broken beca, the house that built me, tw-anxiety attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:33:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24878515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aca_bechloe47/pseuds/aca_bechloe47
Summary: They say you can't go home again. But 15 years of mundane life brought Beca back, standing on the front pourch of the house that built her. As Beca explores the place that used to be hers, memories come flooding back to her bringing both happy and tragic memories. Things have broken in her life but maybe being back home can help her put them back together.
Relationships: Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell
Comments: 12
Kudos: 57





	The House That Built Me

**Author's Note:**

> I want to give a massive shout out to my two amazing friends! Becasbelt and night-owl1999 for making my ramblings more readable :) Love you two Dorks!  
> Song Fic- The House That Built Me by Miranda Lambert

Sitting in her car, Beca looked out her passenger side window at the old house. Memories seemed to fly through her mind's eye as she took in the familiar sight. It had been nearly fifteen years since she’d been back at this house; back in this town. Nearly fifteen years of fighting and trying her best to make it out in the world, and failing.

Fifteen long years.

Beca didn’t know why she felt the need to come here as soon as she got off the plane and into her rental car, but here she was anyway.

The house looked nearly the same as it had when she had lived in it; the paint had faded a bit and the porch needed some work done on it, but all around, it was the same as she'd left it all those years ago.

Taking a deep breath, Beca got out of her car and headed up the sidewalk to the building. She didn’t even know what she was doing, why she was even here, but before she could blink she was knocking on the door. What the hell she was going to say when - if - the door opened, she had no fucking idea, but it was too late to turn back now.

Beca just needed… She needed to feel like herself again. She needed to find peace and structure. She needed happiness, and the last place she felt any of that genuinely was here, in this house.

The door swung open, and there stood a woman Beca had never seen before.

“Hi, can I help you?” The woman was tall with dark brown hair. She almost reminded Beca of Stacie.

“Yeah, hi. I know this is going to sound sorta strange, but uh… I used to live here.” Beca started out awkwardly. Suddenly words and an explanation for why she was there filled her mind and ultimately tumbled out of her mouth. “My name is Beca, and I know that people don’t, like, do this kind of stuff, but I was wondering if I could maybe walk around the house again? I promise I wont take anything more than a memory.”

The woman stared at Beca, confusion written on her face. She seemed to be debating on what to do - probably whether or not to call the police - but eventually her features softened.

“Uh…sure. Come on in.” She moved to the side and allowed Beca to enter the house.

Walking inside was like taking a step back in time. The furniture was different, and there were other pictures and things on the walls, but the house itself still held the same energy. It was as if Beca was a Sophomore in College again, when she and the other girls were picking out a house.

**_~Flashback~_ **

_ “Look at this kitchen!” Stacie yelled in excitement. _

_ “We can totally have the best movie nights in this living room!” Ashley exclaimed. _

_ “There’s not enough rooms for everyone to have their own but if we pair up it should be fine.” CR stated, smirking over at Stacie. _

_ “Bec, look at this fireplace! Can't you just imagine being all huddled up on the couch, reading and working on homework while soaking in the warmth of the fire?” Chloe said this to Beca much quieter than the other girls were being, sighing thoughtfully. _

_ Beca was just simply looking around in amazement. The open plan of the living room and kitchen really was amazing. She had so many ideas and thoughts flashing through her mind. She could see the girls all hanging out in this house. Sure, there were things that needed to be worked on, but it was honestly… _

_ “Perfect.” Beca whispered in wonder. Nothing had ever felt so right to her before. _

_ She looked over at her co-captain and best friend, the two of them smiling softly at each other. _

_ This house was meant to be theirs. _

_ ~ _ **_End Of Flashback_ ** _ ~ _

“My name is Monica by the way,” Monica said as they walked through the living room. Beca smiled over at her and accepted the hand offered for her to shake.

“Nice to meet you,” Beca said politely. She didn’t mind human interaction as much as she used to. She’d had years of kissing ass and trying to be the most likable person she could be. She didn’t mind talking to normal people anymore.

“How long ago did you say you lived here?” Monica asked as they walked over to the kitchen table.

“About fifteen years ago,” Beca repeated. She looked around and smiled.

Again, the kitchen had different appliances and the color of the cabinets were different, but she took a look and smiled as she saw that the tall cabinet by the fridge still had a broken handle. She remembered the day Amy broke it.

**_~Flashback~_ **

_ “Amy, can you please stop trying to get a snack? I’m making dinner.” Chloe asked in the sweetest voice she could manage. Beca could tell she was getting frustrated with the Aussie. _

_ “Come on, Ames. Give Chloe some space. The more you bug her, the longer you'll have to wait for dinner.” Beca tried to help the redhead, who sent her an appreciative smile. _

_ “But I’m hungry now! Come on, just a little snack,” Amy whined. She honestly reminded Beca of a four year old right now. _

_ “Amy, no. Stop acting like a child,” Chloe ordered. It wasn’t often that Chloe got stern like this outside of Bellas rehearsals, but she was at her wits end with the blonde. “Go sit in the living room with the rest of the girls.” _

_ “Why does Beca get to sit in here?” Amy asked in annoyance. _

_ “Because we’re working on the set list and she’s not trying to move around me while I cook,” Chloe stated indignantly. “Now go.” _

_ Amy looked at both Beca and Chloe, back and forth for a few seconds. _

_ “It’s because you’re both madly in love with each other,” Amy grumbled under her breath, still loud enough for both of the co-captains to hear. _

_ “Get out, Amy.” Beca ordered, pointing to the couch. _

_ Amy glared, and in a flash she turned to the tall cupboard and tried to throw it open. In the process she pulled a little too hard on the handle and tore it off, a piece of the door coming with it. Her hand flew back and hit Chloe in the shoulder with a solid  _ thud _. _

_ “Shit!” _

_ “Ouch!” _

_ “Fuck! Amy!” _

_ “Sorry!” Amy yelled as she dropped the handle and ran out of the room. _

_ Beca glared after her but then looked at Chloe who was holding her shoulder. “You okay?” _

_ “Yeah, I’m just going to have a bruise there now.” Chloe turned and looked at the handle on the floor and the cupboard that hung open. “Great…” _

_ “It’s okay, I’ll fix it after dinner.” Beca promised. Chloe sent her a smile and went back to making dinner. _

_ When Beca tried to fix it, she realized that Amy had done a lot of damage to the door after all. She ended up reattaching the handle in a different spot, leaving a giant hole in the door. It looked ridiculous, but they were a ridiculous group so it worked out fine. _

**_~End~_ **

“You would have lived here when it was like a sorority house then, right?” Monica asked Beca, effectively ending the memory.

“Uh, yeah sorta. We were an a capella group," Beca corrected.

“Oh that makes more sense.” The new owner nodded her head. “There’s a box of old pictures and things I think from when your group lived here up in the attic bedroom. I can show you, if you'd like.”

Beca’s eyes widened. The attic… That’s where she and Amy roomed together. God, that room.

“I’d love that, actually. When I lived here I stayed in the attic room.” Beca told the woman.

“You’re welcome to look around a bit if you’d like. The box is just up the stairs and in that closet, which I’m assuming used to be yours.” Monica told her kindly.

“Thank you, I swear I won't be long.”

“Take your time. I don’t mind.”

Beca sent her an appreciative smile before turning and walking over to the stairs. God, these stairs… She had a scar from them, due to Amy’s stupid idea that they all had to slide down them in order to ‘christen’ the house.

She winced at the memory and fought the urge to hold her shoulder that had been hurt.

Walking up the old steps, she remembered taking pictures the day she graduated. Chloe had forced them to take a million pictures that day.

_ “Come on Bec, we’ll only get to do this once together. Just humor me.” _ She could hear Chloe’s pleading words in her mind as if the redhead was right there in the same room as her. She gave a sad smile as she thought back to that day- thought back to Chloe.

The first room at the top of the stairs was the room Stacie and CR shared. Beca really didn’t hang out much in their room. Their room was the one she was the most scared to go into in the house; you never knew if the people inside were going to have clothes on or not. There had been way too many instances that had made Beca regret not knocking before entering.

Beca cringed at the thought, but couldn’t help but smile shortly after. Those two girls… God she loved them.

She looked to the door on the left, which was Ashley and Jessica’s room. She didn’t go in there much either if she were being honest.

Of all the girls in the house, Beca would say Ashley and Jessica were probably the two girls that kept to themselves more than even Beca did. They had each other. It took the other girls until their Junior year to realize that they were actually dating and not just good friends.

Now they were married and had a little boy. God, now that Beca thought about it, he wasn’t so little anymore. Parker was eleven now. Time did fly by.

Beca remembered the first time she heard the two girls fighting. She had been so worried about them that she just walked into the room.

**_~Flashback~_ **

_ “Can you please just stop saying that!” Beca heard the raised voice as she climbed the stairs. It had been a long day for the DJ, the last thing she wanted to do was play peacemaker. _

_ “It’s the truth, isn’t it? God, Ash, what the hell do you want from me!” Jessica’s voice was serious and Beca began to worry. This wasn’t like them… Jessica and Ashley didn’t fight, and when they did they never escalated into screaming matches like this one. _

_ “I guess if you don’t see things the same way, then fuck me for being the idiot.” Jessica went on, frustration evident in her tone. _

_ “That’s not what I said, and you’re not an idiot, Jess. I just need a minute, okay?” Ashley sounded so sad and defeated. Beca’s mind was screaming at her to just let them fight it out on their own, but the temptation to intervene was also prominent. They would figure it out, they always did. But if they didn't... _

_ Mentally cursing herself, Beca opened the door. _

_ “Hey, are you two okay?” Beca asked as she walked in. Jessica was sitting on the bed while Ashley stood at the other end of the room. Both women were looking rather upset and had their arms folded. “Wow… um, okay, what’s up guys?” _

_ “Nothing. We’re fine, Beca," Ashley tried to say but Jessica jumped in. _

_ “No, we aren’t fine,” Jessica spat. “Beca, if Jesse forgot your anniversary and then told you it wasn’t a big deal, how would you feel?” _

_ “Um…” Beca looked back and forth between the two girls. Yeah, she should have kept walking. _

_ “Don’t drag her into this, Jess. This is between me and you.” Ashley glared at her girlfriend. _

_ “No, I think it’s important to have someone else’s views on this.” _

_ “Look, it kinda depends, I guess," Beca cut in, stopping their bickering. "What type of anniversary are we talking about here?” Beca asked, not knowing why the hell she wasn’t just walking out of the room and letting them handle their shit. _

_ “She’s upset because I forgot the anniversary of our first date. Not the first time we made things official, but our first date,” Ashley explained. Jessica huffed in annoyance. _

_ “It’s a big deal,” Jessica countered. _

_ “It was like five years ago, Jess. I’m sorry I didn’t remember back to when we were fifteen.” Ashely was exasperated and upset. _

_ “Okay, look, I’m not saying that you aren’t justified in being upset, Jess," Beca jumped in, holding her hands up as she tried to reason with the two girls. "But, like, what’s more important to you: what happened five years ago on that date, or continuing to build new memories and adventures together now? I know that this is important to you. I do. But, like, come on! You and Ashley are perfect together and fighting over this isn’t going to make either of you happy,” Beca tried to reason. She shrugged before finishing. “I’m not going to tell you what to do, but I think you should think about it. Figure out what’s really important.” _

_ With that, Beca walked out of the room. Later that night, Jessica and Ashley are cuddled up together on the couch, talking about a date they were going to go on that weekend. Beca never brought up the whole incident with them again, and they only mentioned it once to her. The day they got married. _

**_~End~_ **

Walking further down the hall, Beca smiled. The more time she spent in this house the more she remembered, and the more she felt like herself again.

Next was Flo and Lily’s room. Beca never went in there. She was scared to go into CR and Stacie’s room, but that was nothing compared to this room. Beca can only think of going in there twice in the three years they lived in the house. Once on the first day and then again on the last day.

There was one more room on this floor other than the bathrooms, and that was the room Chloe stayed in by herself. Beca spent more time in that room then she did in her own room, if she were being honest. She couldn’t bring herself to open that door. Not yet.

So she kept moving forward and headed for the attic door.

Climbing the steps to the familiar space that she and Amy shared, Beca truly felt as though she were back in college. Back in the Bellas. Like she had gone back in time way before life had gotten all fucked up. Before she had sold herself to Khaled and the music industry. Before she had lost the one person in this world she never thought she would. Like she had stepped back in time.

Everything in this room was exactly the same as when she had left. Her old bed was still up there, but not the one Amy had slept in. The walls were still the same color and the old desk that Beca use to work at was still there, just in a different corner of the room.

There were so many memories she had in this room; so many things she loved to think about, and things she never wanted to think about again. They all flooded back to her.

She remembered when Amy finally told her about Bumper. Or the time she and Jesse broke up (for the final time). Or when Stacie came up to her room and cried on her shoulder the day she was hurt. That was one memory Beca never wanted to think about again.

All the times she and Chloe spent sitting on her bed, music playing through her laptop and Chloe reading whatever book she was studying for Russian Lit at the time.

This room carried a lot of memories, but nothing compared to the avalanche she knew was waiting for her in the last bedroom on the floor below her.

Opening the closet, she saw two brown cardboard boxes stacked on one another.

She pulled the first one off the top and placed it on her old bed.

Opening it, she couldn’t help but laugh at what she saw. The very first thing on the top was Amy’s old stupid cowboy hat. Why she left it in the house, Beca had no idea, but it brought back memories of that damn Halloween party they held her Sophomore year, their first year in the house.

**_~Flashback~_ **

_ “Beca, you know it’s, like, customary for Halloween to actually dress up, right?” Amy checked as she tied her red and white flannel shirt into a knot so the lower half of her stomach was showing. _

_ “I don’t do Halloween, Ames,” Beca grumbled as she continued working on her laptop. She had been trying to finish their setlist and this damn party was the last thing she wanted to do. _

_ “Come on! I’ll let you wear my hat!” Amy offered in excitement, as if that was somehow going to change Beca’s hatred for the holiday. _

_ “I’m good,” Beca muttered, her eyes never leaving the screen of her laptop. _

_ Chloe had somehow gotten it into her mind that since they had a new house, the Bella’s were the ones that needed to host the parties that year. Beca didn’t get it. It’s not like the Trebles ever invited the Bellas to their parties, unless it was the end of year ones (yeah… they had more than one end of year party). _

_ “Bec, can you help me!” Chloe called as she ran into the room. Beca looked over and nearly gasped. God, it should be illegal to be so damn hot. _

_ Beca mentally berated herself. This was her best friend, she shouldn’t be having these thoughts. _

_ Chloe was dressed in a skin tight black dress with knee-high boots, a pair of cat ears settled on the top of her red curls. Beca put on her usual judgey face and raised her eyebrow. _

_ “What the hell are you supposed to be, Beale?” She asked, already knowing the answer. _

_ “A cat, silly,” Chloe laughed. “Can you help me with my eyeliner? You always do it the best.” _

_ Beca knew that Chloe had noted her lack of being dressed up, but for whatever reason didn’t mention it. Instead she held out the black pencil and looked at Beca expectantly. _

_ “Okay,” Beca agreed and took the pencil. She saved her work on her song. “How do you want it?” _

_ “Can you do cat eye?” Chloe asked, already knowing that Beca could, in fact, do just that. _

_ “Yeah.” Beca nodded and pointed to her bed, silently instructing Chloe to take a seat. Why she was doing Chloe’s eyeliner, Beca had no idea… She knew for a fact the redhead already knew how to do it. But whatever. She didn’t care. _

_ “So what are you supposed to be, Bec? Grumpy Alt Girl?” Chloe asked as Beca worked. This caused Amy to laugh in the background. _

_ “You know it’s supposed to be something you aren’t already, right?” Amy pipped in, Beca mentally flipped them both off but didn’t react as she was doing her best to keep her lines damn near perfect. _

_ Beca stepped back and admired her work. She kicked herself because it only made her think of just how hot Chloe was. God, would she ever be able to get over this stupid crush? _

_ “K, there ya go.” Beca handed her back the pencil and returned to her computer. _

_ “Are you seriously not going to dress up tonight, Bec?” Chloe asked as she put her arms around her best friend's shoulders and rested her chin on the top of her head. _

_ “Nope.” Beca said with a pop of her p. _

_ “Beca, where’s the fun in that?” Chloe pouted, and Beca could already feel herself losing the battle. _

_ An hour later Beca found herself standing in front of her bedroom mirror, wearing a stupid cowboy hat and dressed like she was from Texas. _

_ “Why the fuck do you have cowboy boots?” Beca asked, turning over to Chloe who was beaming at her. _

_ “Don’t worry about that. Smile!” Chloe lifted her phone and snapped a picture of her before she could react. _

_ “Chloe Beale, I swear to god give me your phone right now!” Beca yelled and took off running after Chloe, she only took a few steps before she tripped over her own two feet, not used to the length the shoes had on them. “Fuck!” _

**_~End Flashback~_ **

Beca laughed at the memory. God, she had been such a party pooper back in the day. Who was she trying to kid- she still was.

She picked up the hat and put it on the bed, looking at the next item.

The next thing was a picture from their ICCA’s win, Beca’s freshman year. Tears easily began to fill her eyes as she continued to look through the old pictures and random items in the first box. But what truly broke her, what truly hit her right in the heart was a flash drive.

On the side of the flash drive was Beca’s handwriting. She had gifted it to Chloe, she wanted something with all of Beca’s mixes on it, so she put it together on the flash drive and then also emailed it to her.

Beca could remember all the work she put into that damn thing. Chloe listened to the playlist on repeat for months after that until the drive ultimately broke.

Beca would always remember the huge smile on Chloe’s face the day she opened it.

**_~Flashback~_ **

_ “Bec, what is it? Come on, you’re killing me!” Chloe prodded, sitting on her bed and looking at Beca expectantly. _

_ The DJ had asked Chloe if she could give her her birthday present for that year a little bit early, in hopes they could use it for the party the next day. Chloe had agreed and was now sitting anxiously on her bed. _

_ “Okay, so it’s not much but I hope you like it.” Beca handed her over a small box covered in happy birthday wrapping paper. _

_ Chloe let out a small squeal and ripped open the paper. She opened the box and was pouring out it’s content before Beca even had time to blink. She laughed at her best friend. Beca swears this girl was more like a kid then an adult most days. _

_ Chloe gasped when she saw the small stick. She looked at the side with Beca’s writing on it. _

_ 'To Chloe, my muse.' _

_ “You… You made me a playlist?” Chloe looked up at her expectantly, tears forming in her eyes. _

_ “It’s full of all the songs that make me think of you.” Beca explained and looked down at her hands. She’d come to accept that she was in love with Chloe long before this moment, but she swears if Chloe just looked at her long enough she would be able to tell the truth. She would find out that her feelings weren’t completely platonic. That both scared and excited Beca to no end. _

_ “I love it! Thank you, Bec!” Chloe pulled Beca into a hug and Beca returned it. There was nothing like a hug from Chloe. _

_ “I’m glad,” Beca breathed, fighting the urge to kiss the redhead's temple. _

_ Chloe jumped up and grabbed her laptop. _

_ “What are you doing?” Beca asked in confusion, but a light laugh still played in her tone. _

_ “Playing it, obviously,” Chloe laughed. Beca watched in amazement as she eagerly plugged it in and pushed play on the first song. The music Beca had spent months working on began to fill Chloe’s room. _

_ Chloe has always been her biggest supporter. Her cheerleader. Her muse. Beca would always be grateful for her and her encouragement. It was one of the many things she loved about the red head. Her heart was always so damn big, and she was always supportive of everyone in her life. Always the most outspoken encourager. _

**_~End Flashback~_ **

Beca wiped at the stray tears that had fallen. What she wouldn’t give to go back to that time. Back when things were so much simpler. When she and Chloe were still so damn close. Back before Beca ruined it all.

Beca put down the flash drive and kept going.

The rest of the stuff in the box were things Beca didn’t recognize, it must have been from the other Bellas. Emily’s Bellas. So she put it aside and went to the next box. Again there wasn’t really anything in it she recognized or had strong memories attached to.

She put everything back in the closet and walked out of the room.

Stopping in front of a door, Beca just simply stared at it. It was so hard to be standing here in front of this door. The door that was never closed to her, at least not when she lived here. She slept in that room, worked on her music and school work, planned setlists for the Bellas and just hung out with her best friend. The room where she first realized she was anything but straight.

It had been fifteen fucking years… why was it still so hard to be here? Weren’t wounds supposed to heal over time? Like that’s what she’d always been told.

But being here, she didn’t feel like she was getting closure. She didn’t feel like she was accepting the past for what it was.

All Beca felt was… broken. Far more broken then she had felt before.

She thought that by coming here she would find herself- that she would rediscover who she once was. But looking back, Beca realized that she didn’t know who she was fifteen years ago, either.

Feeling as though she were being pulled to enter the room, Beca slowly opened the door and walked inside.

The room was completely different than how she last saw it. It wasn’t as bright and vibrant as when Chloe had lived in it. Its walls plain and white. Little decoration covered the walls.

But the feeling of the room… the knowledge of what this room used to be flooded every single one of Beca’s senses. She swears she could hear Chloe’s laughter. Feel her hand in Beca’s, pulling her to the bed that used to be there. The comforter, a white with pink and purple polka dots on it.

The ever consuming memories of Chloe, of Beca’s old feelings, of their friendship and how close they used to be, all came hitting Beca like a truck.

“Fuck,” Beca breathed out, tears now falling freely from her eyes.

She shouldn’t have come here. She shouldn’t have thought that this place would somehow fix her.

Beca Mitchell was a broken wannabe who ruined everything good in her life.

Sure, this house, these memories built her. But when she walked out of this house and away from those friends, her dreams shattered. Her life crumbled.

The house may still be standing but she wasn’t. Not really.

Needing some air and to get out of this damn room, Beca practically bolted. She ran down the stairs and out the front door, tears streaming down her face and her lungs fighting for air. The avalanche of memories had fallen on top of her. Coming back here didn’t heal her, it killed her.

“Hey, are you okay?” Beca could hear someone ask, she turned to see Monica walking down the sidewalk toward her.

Beca tried to speak, tried to calm down her spinning world, but nothing would come out. She felt as though she were being crushed by the weight of all the memories, all the moments that came rushing back to her.

“I think you’re having a panic attack. I need you to sit down, okay?” Monica helped Beca to the ground and instructed her to put her head between her legs. She took Beca’s hand and placed it over her own heart. “Focus on breathing, try to match my breaths, okay?”

Beca breathed in and out, trying her best to match the same slow and steady pace that Monica was setting. It took some time but eventually she was able to do it.

They sat there, in the front yard of the old Bella’s house just breathing.

After a few minutes Monica turned to Beca. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” Beca said with a nod of her head. “Thanks.”

“Do you get panic attacks often?” The woman asked.

“Um yeah, I used to at least. Not so much anymore.” Beca stated. It had actually been a few years since she’d had one. But it made sense that this house would bring them back. After all, most of the panic attacks came when she thought about how she walked out of Chloe’s life the night she picked Chicago and not her.

“Come on, I’ll get you a cup of water.” Monica stood up and then helped Beca stand as well.

They made their way back into the house, Beca felt her anxiety rise but knew that as long as she didn’t go upstairs she’d be okay.

“Did something upstairs trigger it?” the practical stranger asked.

Beca didn’t open up to people. Especially people she didn’t even know, but she knew she needed to talk about it. She needed to get it out of her head before she had another one.

“Uh… yeah.” Beca nodded her head. She accepted the water that was handed to her. “I lived here for three years. Um me and my best friends. One of them I was super close to and, uh, being in her old room just kinda brought some not so fond memories back to me.”

“Are you two still close?” Monica asked, but Beca figured she already knew the answer to that.

“No. We haven’t been for awhile,” the music producer explained.

Beca wasn’t proud of the way it ended. She regretted the way she acted that final night more than just about anything else she’d ever done.

But this was Beca Mitchell after all. She always lashed out and hurt others. It was her defense mechanism. If she hurt them before they could hurt her it would be easier, right?

Beca lashed out that last night of the USO tour. The truth spilled out of her mouth and before Chloe had the chance to reject her, Beca ran.

“You wanna talk about it?” Monica asked. Beca didn’t know why, but she did. So she started explaining who Chloe was. She got all the way through college and up to the USO tour.

**_~Flashback~_ **

_ After Beca’s performance, she was dragged off stage and thrown into a circus of reporters. Questions were flying at her and she couldn’t possibly make sense of them all. A repetitive, incessant flash was going off every second from a camera that she couldn't see. Beca didn’t know what the fuck was going on. She looked over to Theo and basically pleaded with him with her eyes to be rescued. _

_ He walked over and told the group that Khalid needed to talk to her and got her out of there. _

_ “Thanks.” Beca turned to him. She didn’t like Theo. He honestly struck her as the type of guy who thought he was cool in high school simply because he was on the football team or something. Like he was just a total ‘Dude Bro’. Beca wasn’t having it. She didn’t want to deal with it. But he saved her so she could thank him for it. _

_ “No problem.” Theo smiled at her and it made Beca’s skin crawl. _

_ “I’m going to go find the girls.” Beca explained and walked away. _

_ In all honesty she was looking for Chloe. She needed to see her. _

_ It didn’t take long to find Emily, who excitedly pulled Beca into a hug and rambled on about how amazing she was. Beca thanked her and asked her if she knew where Chloe was. _

_ “I think I saw her on the other side of the stage.” Emily answered, and seemed to smile at Beca knowingly. _

_ Beca didn’t get it but didn’t stay long enough to ask what the hell that was about anyway. _

_ She all but ran over to that side of the stage, but stopped when she saw that Chloe was, in fact, there, but she wasn’t alone. _

_ G.I. Joe was there with her. _

_ Beca’s smile faded rather quickly as she watched Chloe pull Chicago into a kiss. _

_ She’d lost her chance. _

_ Feeling defeated, Beca walked away, allowing Chloe time alone with the soldier. Her excitement and joy from the night suddenly faded to practically being nonexistent. _

_ Her mind was racing. She had finally gotten the nerve to do it, to tell Chloe the truth, and it was all too late. She was always two steps behind the redhead, always running too far behind. _

_ “Hey, Cap!” CR smiled as she walked up to the Bella captain. “You killed it tonight!” _

_ “Thanks Cynthia-Rose.” Beca smiled at her, but it was strained and unnatural. They both knew it. _

_ “What’s wrong?” CR asked in confusion. “Did something happen?” _

_ “You could say that.” Beca nodded her head. She kept walking but CR followed her anyway. _

_ “Beca, hold on. Talk to me," The girl called. _

_ “There’s nothing to talk about. I was too late. Talking about it wont change anything," Beca snapped. _

_ Realization and understanding seemed to cover CR’s face after a few seconds. “Chloe?” _

_ Beca simply nodded her head. “I’m too late.” _

_ “Why do you say that?” The other woman asked. _

_ “She was just making out with Chicago.” Beca said, bitterness filling her mouth when she said his name. _

_ “She doesn’t love him, though. Beca, she loves you, we all know it,” CR tried to counter, but it was falling on deaf ears. Beca practically barked with laughter. _

_ “No, she doesn’t. If she did, why hasn’t she told me?” Beca asked. _

_ “Why haven’t you told her?” CR pointed out. _

_ Beca hated that she had a point. Damn logic. _

_ “Talk to her before you just simply try to write off your feelings.” The girl continued. “You can’t just give up on her. Give Chloe a bit of credit.” _

_ Beca thought for a moment. Maybe she really did need to do that. Who knows, what if CR had a point? _

_ “Talk to her," CR insisted before walking away. _

_ So that’s what Beca did. She turned back around and went in search of her best friend and the woman she knew was the love of her life. _

_ Chloe was standing in the same spot but instead of Chicago standing there, it was Aubrey. _

_ “Beca!” Chloe yelled and practically ran to her, throwing her arms around her best friend. “Oh my god you were incredible!” _

_ Beca laughed and hugged her back. Chloe’s excitement and energy brought a small amount of joy back to the producer. _

_ “Thanks, Chlo.” _

_ They eventually pulled away and Beca moved to hug Aubrey, but strangely the blonde excused herself before she could do so, leaving Beca and Chloe alone. _

_ “Bec, I am seriously so proud of you,” Chloe gushed, her smile wide and completely genuine. _

_ All Beca could do was smile. Her mind was racing and she knew she needed to tell Chloe the truth. To just get it all out. But what the hell was she supposed to say? How do you tell your best friend you’re madly in love with them? _

_ “Were you just kissing Chicago?” Beca asked, not thinking before the words fell out of her mouth. _

_ “What?” Chloe asked, clearly not expecting that to be the thing that came out of Beca’s face in that moment. _

_ “Sorry I just… did you just kiss army dude?” Beca asked, she didn’t know what the fuck she was doing, her anxiety and fear was seemingly taking over. _

_ “Well, I mean, he kissed me but like,” Chloe began, fidgeting and acting as though she weren’t sure what to do or say. _

_ Beca nodded her head. She of course already knew the answer to that question, but needed to hear her say it. _

_ “Did you uh… did you want to kiss him?” Beca asked, needing to know the answer. She needed to know what Chloe was thinking. “Do you like him?” _

_ “I mean he’s like a good guy but…” Chloe began. “I’m going back to New York. I’ll probably never see him again. But he wants to try.” _

_ “I need to tell you something. I don’t want this to ruin us,” Beca began, her heart pounding so hard and so fast she felt like it was going to rip through her chest. _

_ “What is it?” Chloe asked, she stepped forward to Beca and took her hand. _

_ “I love you." The words rushed out. Beca felt as though she didn’t have any control over her own body at this point- like she was just standing on the outside looking in at herself ruining everything. _

_ Chloe opened and closed her mouth several times as if trying to figure out what to say. She let go of Beca’s hand but didn’t turn or walk away. _

_ “Beca, I…” Chloe began but suddenly there was someone standing beside her. _

_ “Hey, sorry to interrupt, but Chloe, I need to talk to you,” Chicago stated as he looked back and forth between Chloe and Beca. _

_ “Right now?” Chloe asked, looking over at him, surprise still evident on her face. “I, uh, I’m kinda-” _

_ “Yeah, sorry. Plus, I think Theo is looking for Beca anyway.” Chicago grabbed Chloe’s hand and began to walk in the opposite direction. Chloe stood frozen though, just looking at Beca. _

_ “Beca, I,” Chloe began. “I’ll catch up with you later, okay?” _

_ “Seriously?” Beca shot back, anger flaring up inside her. She didn’t know why she suddenly felt so mad but she did. She was pissed but she didn’t think it was directed at Chloe but rather at Chicago. “Chloe, we’re in the middle of a serious conversation.” _

_ “I know, Beca. I just… I need to take care of something, okay?” Chloe was pleading with Beca to understand. She could see it in the red head’s eyes. But the anger was too much. _

_ “You know what, forget about what I said.” Beca spat. “I’m done, Chloe. Have fun with G.I. Joe over there.” _

_ “Beca, wait!” Chloe tried to reach her hand out to Beca but Chicago held her back. _

_ “Just let her go.” Beca heard him say as she walked away from them, tears threatening to spill over. _

**_~End Of Flashback~_ **

“But why did you walk away?” Monica asked, clearly confused that Beca would so readily give up on their friendship.

“It seemed so obvious that she was going to pick Chicago. I thought that if she was going to pick me she would have said something to me.” Beca explained, regret dripping from each word.

“You don’t know that though.” Monica pointed out.

“I know that... now.” Beca nodded her head. “I spent so many years basically ghosting her. I didn’t respond to her phone calls or texts or anything like that. I just… I couldn’t face her and know that she had picked him.”

“Have you talked to her since?” Monica inquired.

“Yeah, we reconnected not that long ago.” Beca explained. “She ended up marrying him. But they got a divorce last year. He cheated on her.”

“Did you ever find out if she loved you back?”

“That’s why I’m here.” Beca explained. “I’m meeting her tomorrow for coffee and to catch up with each other. She asked me if I’d be willing to do that, and it’s Chloe so of course I said yes.”

“So why come back to this house? Why put yourself through those memories again?” Monica was so confused by Beca. For a woman who seemed so sure of things, she didn’t know anything at the same time.

“This place… I thought if I came back here I would somehow feel reconnected with my past self. That I would somehow be able to fix my brokenness,” Beca explained, tears filling her eyes as she looked around.

“Did it?”

“I don’t know.” Beca confessed. “I really don’t know.”

**The Next Day**

Beca walked into the old coffee shop, an easy smile forming on her lips as she spotted Chloe. The years that had passed had been kind to the redhead. She was just as beautiful as always. It made Beca’s heart skip a beat and all the sudden, she was eighteen again, seeing Chloe Beale for the first time. But now this time there was a whole slew of past memories and experiences and feelings together.

They say you can never go home again, but Beca was starting to think whoever had said that was wrong.

“Hi.” Chloe smiled at her.

“Hi.” Beca smiled back and they instantly pulled each other into a hug.

“I’m so glad you came, Bec,” Chloe said into her shoulder, her words full of emotion. Some Beca could discern and others she couldn’t. But she didn’t care. She had Chloe. God, she had Chloe.

That house, across the street from BU campus was where Beca had lived. That had been the roof over her head, but right here in Chloe’s arms- right here in this spot with her, Beca finally and truly felt as though she were home.

With this one hug, Beca Mitchell’s brokenness was healed and the memories that flooded her were the best she’d ever had.

Chloe Beale had built her, brick-by-brick and board-by-board. She was the one who had truly given life to Beca and to her dreams.


End file.
